STONE MOUNTAIN -- Snellville artist Eddie Carpenter never thinks about his art -- he just creates. His first exhibit, "Pareidolia," opens on Saturday at ART Station with a collection of 16 acrylic paintings on display.

The word "pareidolia" is defined by www.dictionary.com as "noun -- the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features," which is the way Carpenter describes his art.

"There's not really a theme, other than 'pareidolia.' It's the closest word to describe what I do," he said. "Basically, I take a blank canvas or board and draw until I see something like a body or a shape ... then I paint it. I don't think about it a lot, it just happens."

Carpenter has been drawing and painting since high school, but he was never taught professionally. He has always created pieces for fun.

The Snellville painter met the owners of ART Station from his partner, who used to work there. He had tried to contact galleries in Atlanta to display his work and had no luck.

"Being in Snellville, I didn't know how to get started," he said. "I called some places in Buckhead and Midtown and never heard back."

Then he heard the ART Station was taking entries for a juried art show. Two of his pieces were entered and he won an award for his piece, "Strings."

After the award, ART Station approached Carpenter for a solo show, which he gladly accepted.

He doesn't want to tell people what to think when looking at his paintings, because he doesn't have meanings for all of them. He wants the viewers to come up with their own conclusions.

"As far as meaning, I don't feel like it's my role to figure that out for anyone," he said. "There isn't anything else other than (people) just trying to figure out what the paintings mean to them."

All of the pieces are for sale, except for one. Carpenter has already promised it to someone important in his life.

"I'm giving it to the person who has supported me for the past four years," he said.